Chang Buri Resort & Spa

April 15, 2013 at 14:24

På Koh Chang boede vi på Chang Buri Resort & Spa på White Sand Beach, som er den største og smukkeste strand, men også klart det mest turistede område. Det havde klart sine fordele og ulemper. Fordelen var, at der var masser af restauranter at vælge i mellem, når man var sulten. Der var flere apoteker tæt på, hvilket er meget brugbart, når man har sart hud og skal have mere solcreme eller aloe vera til (endnu) en solskoldning. Derudover var det altid meget nemt at finde en billig taxa til at tage en ud til én af de andre strande eller små byer. Det største minus for mig var klart, at om aftenen blev barerne langs vejen fyldt med thaikvinder, der desperat flokkes om enhver vestlig mand, som trådte ind på baren eller råbte efter mænd, der parcerede på gaden. Det fik jeg lidt ondt i hjertet af, og var præcis samme grund til, at jeg ikke syntes særlig godt om, ellers meget populære, Koh Samui, da jeg besøgte øen tilbage i 2008.

Hvis jeg skulle tilbage til Koh Chang, ville jeg helt klart bo mere syd på øen ved Kai Bae strand eller Lonely Beach, hvor der er væsentlig mindre turistet og lidt mere hyggeligt og afslappet. Heldigvis var det langt fra dyrt at tage en taxa, og på Koh Chang har de faste priser, så man bliver ikke snydt. En taxa til Kai Bae koster 50 baht og 100 baht (ca. 10 kr. og 20 kr.) til Lonely Beach, og det er en køretur på hhv. ca. 20 og 30 min.

Selve hotellet var meget fint til prisen (2200 baht/ca. 460 kr. per nat), og særligt poolområderne var ret imponerende. Hotellet bestod af to dele, hillside og seaside. Vi boede på hillside på den modsatte side af stranden, men det tog under 2 min. at gå fra vores del af hotellet og over til det store poolområde og solsengene ved stranden, så det gjorde absolut ikke noget. Vi havde morgenmad inkluderet, hvilket gjorde det dejlig nemt. Hver morgen var der en stor buffet med bl.a. pandekager, bacon, kartofler, thairetter, en omelet-station (eller andre slags æg) og masser af lækker eksotisk frugt. De havde også to spa-afdelinger, hvor vi fik en dejlig thaimassage til billige penge. Virkelig lækkert oven på en lang flyvetur. Det var så afslappende, at jeg faldt i søvn:) Personalet var alle sammen søde og hjælpsomme, men desværre var deres engelsk noget ubehjælpsomt, så det lykkedes os ikke at få anbefalinger til steder at spise eller en god dykkerskole. Godt man har google! Alt i alt er rigtig fint sted at bo, men igen ville jeg nok vælge et andet område, hvis der skulle blive en gang til på Koh Chang.

English: At Koh Chang we stayed at the Chang Buri Resort & Spa on White Sand Beach, which is the largest and most beautiful beach, but also the most touristed area. It definitely had it’s pros and cons. The pros were that there were lots of restaurants to choose from, when you were hungry. There were several pharmacies close by, which always is handy, when you have fair skin and need more sunscreen or aloe vera for (yet another) sunburn. Furthermore, it was always easy to find a cheap cab to take you out to one of the other beaches or little towns. The biggest con in my book was that every night all the bars along the road got filled with Thai women desperately flocking over any western man that walked in to the bar or yelled after men just passing on the street. It really broke my heart, and that was the exact same reason why I didn’t care much for, the otherwise very popular, Koh Samui, when I visited the island back in 2008.

If I were to go back to Koh Chang, I would definitely stay more south on the island by Kai Bae beach or Lonely Beach, which was less touristy and more cozy and laid back. Luckily, it was far from expensive to take a cab, and on Koh Chang they had fixed prices, so you never got cheated. A cab from Kai Bae costs 50 baht and 100 baht to Lonely Beach, and that is a approx. 20 and 30 min. ride respectively.

The hotel itself was very nice compared to the price (2200 baht per night), and especially the pool areas were quite impressive. The hotel is divided into to parts, hillside and seaside. We stayed at the hillside on the opposite side of the beach, but it took less than 2 min. to walk from our part of the hotel and other to the large pool area and the sun beds by the beach, so that wasn’t an issue. We had breakfast included, which made it nice and easy. They had a large buffet every morning with pancakes, bacon, potatoes, thai dishes, an omelet station (or other kinds of eggs) and plenty of delicious exotic fruits. They also had to spas, where we got a lovely Thai massage for almost no money at all. Much needed after a long flight. It was so relaxing that I fell asleep :) All the staff were really friendly and helpful, but unfornuately their English was pretty limited and we didn’t succeed in getting recommendations for restaurants or a good diving school. Good thing google is your friend! All in all a very nice place to stay, but again, if I were to visit Koh Chang again I would choose to stay at one of the other areas.

{Poolområde på hillside-delen}

{Hotellets bar lavede skønne piña coladas, som vi nød med udsigt over havet}

{Fine håndklædedekorationer på vores seng}

{Masser af skøn frugt. Jeg savner den buffet!}

{Omelet-kokken}

{Min faste morgenmad, mens vi boede på hotellet}

{Poolområdet på seaside-delen}

{En lækker spicy beef salad på hotellets restaurant}

{Solnedgang over poolen}